UGANDA, 17th January – Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhabura has been re-elected to serve for the seventh term (2026-2031), as his closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, rejected the results, alleging fraud and violence.
This follows the declaration by the Uganda Electoral Commission announcing 81-year-old Museveni, the leader of the National Resistance Party (NRM), as the winner of the presidential election with 7,946,772 votes (71.65%), followed by Bobi Wine, the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), who polled 2,741,238 votes (24.72%).
Making the announcements at the National Tallying Centre in Lubowa, the Commission’s Chairperson Justice Byabama Simon said that Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC ) garnered 209,039 (1.88%), Muntu Mugisha of (ANT) 59,206 (0.53%), while other contestants’ votes were below 1.21% standing at 134,523.
According to Justice Byabama, the total votes cast during the January 15th elections were 11,366,201, representing a 52.5% voter turnout in the 50,739 polling stations nationwide. The total number of eligible voters is currently 21.6 million.
In his 3 minutes 46 seconds video posted on his X official account at an undisclosed location earlier today, Bobi Wine alleges that he managed to escape from the police and unidentified persons in plainclothes who came to arrest him at his Magere home.
“After voting on the eve of the election, I was put under house arrest. They came and cut off the power supply, interfered with the CCTV, used ladders to gain entry, and a helicopter was hovering above our house,” Bobi said.
He further alleges that some of his poll agents were abducted, some of his supporters were killed, and there were rampant cases of ballot stuffing in favour of the incumbent and the NRM party. Bobi challenged the electoral body to upload the presidential election results on their portal.
However, mystery surrounds Bobi Wine’s whereabouts as the Ugandan police spokesperson denied his assertions.
With heightened tensions before, during, and after the elections, the US Embassy in Uganda issued a security alert on 6th January, advising caution due to potential unrest following the January 15 elections. “US citizens are encouraged to exercise enhanced caution, avoid large public gatherings, and limit unnecessary travel and movement.”
In his re-election manifesto, President Museveni pledged to protect the gains made by NRM and that he is laser-focused on steering the East African country to high middle-income status.
“The manifesto represents the NRM’s commitment to peace, prosperity and transformation,” he remarked several times in the campaign trails.
Amidst all the accusations and counteraccusations of botched elections, Justice Byabakama on behalf of the commission, congratulated the people of Uganda on the successful conduct of the presidential elections, which concluded on 15th January 2026.
romondi99@theeyeswatchmedia.co.ke
